Rise of the Dictator: Book One Excerpt
by Pyromaniac Frog
Summary: A preview of a work-in-progress. Middle Earth, 50 years before the Fellowship of the Ring. Different characters, different locations, different plot.


Title: Rise of the Dictator - Book One  
  
Authors: Pyromaniac Frog & Hanz  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Email: bigorangefrog@yahoo.co.uk, the_art_of_being_me@hotmail.com  
  
Category: Lord of the Rings, Original  
  
Summary: A preview of a work-in-progress. Middle Earth, 50 years before the Fellowship of the Ring. Different characters, different locations, different plot.  
  
Disclaimer: Alede belongs to us. In fact, everything in this little bit belongs to us.  
  
Series: A snippet from Book One of the Rise of the Dictator trilogy.  
  
Author's Notes: After a long period of deliberation, we decided to put this little excerpt from our upcoming LoTR-esque trilogy on ff.net just to see what kind of response we got, whether people were interested etc. We've written a LOT for it already, but as always, the beginning is the hardest and isn't finished as yet :( We plan to post a new chapter every month or so, and - fingers crossed - the first one will be up by November, muse willing. So, read and enjoy (hopefully), and tell us what you think as we'd love some feedback.  
  
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It was dark. Cold and dark. Alede shivered and rubbed her hands together to no avail. The only light came through a slight opening, in what she imagined must be the door, descending from the odd small oil burner adorning the passage walls, quite obviously placed for the guard's benefit rather than that of the occupants in the cells. The bars that fell across this opening were all that were clearly visible in the small dank room, the limited light causing them to be silhouetted against the door of the adjacent cell.  
  
She squinted and cast her gaze around the room. Hidden in the left corner was what appeared to be a bucket, and to her side she could make out two bedrolls, neither appearing remotely comfortable. She still was unsure of what was happening, why she was there, and barely being able to see her hand in front of her face when she was sure it was the middle of the day outside, was more than a bit unnerving. Previously she had never spent a night away from home, or at least not away from her family, now she had doubts as to whether she would ever see either again.  
  
She furrowed her brow and rose to her feet, her hand pressing against the icy wall as she did so. Immediately she pulled it away. It seemed some kind of mould had decided to grow on the wall, covering the corners completely, and slowly creeping across from either side. She had felt something resembling water dripping down from the ceiling. It hadn't smelt like water. In fact, the whole cell seemed to have an unpleasant aroma that she couldn't quite place. There was almost a tangy edge to it and it wasn't unlike rotting meat, yet she knew that wasn't quite right. She didn't even want to think why that was.  
  
Breathing in deeply though through her mouth, Alede took a step forwards and brought her face up to the bars on the massive oak door. She peered out trying to make clear some of her surroundings. A few stray golden- brown strands of hair fell onto her face and she pushed them back behind her ear with the hand that hadn't been against the wall.  
  
At first she couldn't decide whether or not the cell opposite her was empty or not, a dark shadow almost visible through the bars in the door. It was only when this shadow moved and came closer that she realised it was a person. The inmate brought their face up to the door and met Alede's stare. They were female and although her features were difficult to make out, they were clearly elven.  
  
Alede opened her mouth to speak; only then realising she was shaking. "Wh- where are we?"  
  
The elf seemed to look away slightly before returning her eyes to Alede. "We're in hell."  
  
With that the woman turned away and returned to the shadows. Alede had never felt more alone.  
  
************** 


End file.
